There's absolutely nothing in there from New England. 'There's absolutely nothing in my garden that originated within 1,000 miles of my house,' he says. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that almost nothing we consider locally grown was, in fact, native to the Americas. Mann writes about the changed world after Columbus' voyage in 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, a sequel to his 2006 pre-Columbian history, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. 'And this underlies a huge amount of history learned in schools: the Industrial Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, the rise of the West - all of these are tied up in what's been called the 'Columbian exchange.' '

'It was a tremendous ecological convulsion - the greatest event in the history of life since the death of the dinosaurs,' says Mann. When Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492, his journey prompted the exchange of not only information but also food, animals, insects, plants and viruses between the continents. 'In fourteen-hundred-and-ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue,' goes the old elementary school rhyme.īut it was Columbus' activities in the years that followed, says writer Charles C. This interview was originally broadcast on August 8, 2011.

Your purchase helps support NPR programming. This program was a presentation of “ALOUD at Central Library” by the Los Angeles Library Foundation in association with the Los Angeles Public Library.Ĭharles Mann, author of 1491, about the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, revisits the Americas afterward.Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title 1493 Subtitle Uncovering the New World Columbus Created Author Charles C. Crosby reviews '1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created' by Charles C. He discussed his book with author Richard Rodriguez at the Los Angeles Central Library Mark Taper Auditorium. Mann recounted the economic and ecological impact of the exchange. The author reports on the European voyages that followed and the transportation of flora and fauna that reached portions of the globe they had never reached before, deemed the “Columbian Exchange.” Mr. Journalist Mann (1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created) clearly illustrates two opposing outlooks for dealing with major problems facing humankind. T06:29:32-05:00 Charles Mann, author of 1491, about the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, revisits the Americas afterward.

Charles mann 1493 book review